Black Tide

Chapter Ten: Picking Them Apart

The California Crimson Dawn cell didn’t know it yet, but their days were numbered. Kaine sat in the war room, sipping a mug of black coffee while the screens glowed with the digital chaos Pred was orchestrating. After cutting off the group’s corporate lifelines, Kaine had no intention of giving them a chance to regroup. This was the fun part—the slow, methodical destruction of everything they thought they had left.

Pred’s voice crackled through the speakers, oozing mischief. “Time to pluck the low-hanging fruit, boss. I’ve mapped out every Crimson Dawn grunt, hanger-on, and supplier still crawling around. Shall we ruin some lives?”

Kaine leaned back in his chair, a smirk curling his lips. “Let’s do it. Start feeding the trash to law enforcement, angry customers, and any old enemies looking for payback.”

Pred’s geometric interface on the screen pulsed. “Oh, I’ve already sent a little something to an LAPD task force. They’re gonna have a field day with this one.”

The First Domino: Ethan Rocco

Ethan Rocco was a mid-level Crimson Dawn enforcer, responsible for moving weapons and supplies through the Los Angeles underground. Pred flagged him as a coward with a short temper and a long list of people he’d double-crossed.

At 3 a.m., a heavily armed SWAT team stormed Rocco’s condo in Silver Lake. Pred had sent the LAPD a complete dossier, including shipment manifests and surveillance footage of Rocco making deals in broad daylight. When the team breached the door, they found Rocco scrambling to flush a hard drive down the toilet.

“Get your hands up, Rocco!” one officer shouted, aiming a rifle at his chest.

Rocco dropped the drive, his face pale. “Wait, wait, I can cut a deal!”

From the war room, Kaine watched the raid with mild amusement. “Did you add the part about his offshore accounts?”

“Of course,” Pred said smugly. “The feds are already freezing them.”

As Rocco was dragged out in cuffs, Kaine raised his mug in a mock toast. “One down.”

The Supply Snitch: Carmen Mendez

Next up was Carmen Mendez, a Crimson Dawn logistics coordinator who liked to boast about her connections in the underworld. Pred decided to make her the victim of her own arrogance.

He hacked into her secure phone, broadcasting every incriminating message to her rivals in the drug trade. Within hours, Mendez’s usual meeting spots became hunting grounds for angry cartel members.

Kaine watched live footage from a street camera as Mendez’s SUV was ambushed in a parking garage. Gunfire echoed through the concrete as she screamed, ducking behind her vehicle. Her driver wasn’t so lucky, slumping over the steering wheel with a bullet hole in his temple.

“Think she’ll talk if she survives?” Kaine asked.

“She’ll sing like a canary,” Pred replied. “I leaked enough to make sure the feds grab her before anyone else does. She’ll give up half the cell just to save her own skin.”

The Gang Hit: Jesse “Slag” Carter

Jesse Carter, nicknamed “Slag” for his love of firebombs, was a thug-for-hire who specialized in intimidation. Kaine decided to let karma handle this one.

Pred sent a fake message to a local gang Carter had wronged, making it look like he was planning to sell them out. The gang didn’t wait for confirmation. They found him drinking at a dive bar in South Central and cornered him in the alley.

From the safety of his war room, Kaine watched as the gang surrounded Carter, who was already pulling a knife. “This is bullshit!” he snarled. “I didn’t say s**t about you guys!”

One of the gang members, a hulking man with a baseball bat, cracked his knuckles. “Doesn’t matter. You’re a liability.”

What followed was brutal and quick. Carter fought like a cornered animal, but he was outnumbered and outgunned. By the time the gang scattered, his blood stained the alley.

Pred’s voice was dry. “And that’s three.”

Between takedowns, Kaine’s phone buzzed on the desk. It was a text from Jalisa.

Jalisa: “Hey stranger, still saving the world or just pretending you’re too busy to text me back?”

Kaine chuckled, picking up his phone. For the first time in weeks, he felt a flicker of the person he used to be.

Kaine: “Saving the world takes time. I’ll pencil you in after I rescue a kitten or two.”

Jalisa: “Wow, you’re humble. Seriously, how are you feeling?”

Kaine: “Same old. Sitting in my ass. I was a little stiff this morning but it passes.”

Jalisa: “I’m sorry to hear that but damn you are so f*****g tough. Most people wouldnt be able to process all this as well. But I mean you can process your own cooking so losing your legs probably isn't that much tougher. Remember that biohazard you called spaghetti you made yourself for lunch and shared with me in the sixth grade? I should probably still sue you for the amount if throwing up I did. But yiu did get me out of school for two days, so I guess we are even.”

Kaine shook his head, a grin breaking through his usual scowl. “God, I should not be doing this Pred.”

“She is the one living being you still let in boss,” Pred replied dryly. “You should definitely be doing this. It is my job to keep you safe and rather you know it or not you made me to help you with more than just the Revenge Tour. You lost most than your legs and your family that day. You lost you. With some gentle prodding, an ocean of blood and maybe some warm companionship we can get him back.”

Kaine was silent for awhile after that but he kept texting Jalisa throughout the day. The banter continued, light and playful, each message pulling Kaine further out of the dark space he’d been living in. For a moment, the war room felt less like a battlefield and more like a place where he could just exist.

As the small fry were picked off one by one, the California Crimson Dawn cell began to unravel. Fear and paranoia spread through their ranks, making them sloppy. Vex Arcane’s name was whispered with increasing desperation, his followers wondering why he hadn’t done anything to stop the bleeding.

Kaine didn’t care. He was saving the leaders for himself, ensuring they would have nowhere to run when he finally struck.

Pred’s voice cut through the quiet. “You ready for the main course, or should I keep stirring the pot?”

Kaine leaned back in his chair, glancing at his phone. Jalisa’s last message was still on the screen, a reminder of the life he’d left behind.

“Keep stirring,” he said. “Let’s make sure they know that they are on the menu.”